The X
by Resda
Summary: X. It stands for the unknown. Something hidden. And in his case, something... dangerous. A story revolving around everyone's favorite X related character!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

"Titans," Robin yelled, in his usual fashion, "GO!" Instantly the teen heroes sprang into action.

"Bus-ted," Red X said, in a sarcastic tone. He put down the diamond he had intended to steal from the museum. "Here we go again, eh kid?" he directed at Robin.

"Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth shut," Raven replied dryly, her eyes glowing white. Soon the nearby velvet ropes were constricting X, holding him still long enough for Cyborg to make his move.

A blue wave of sonic energy erupted from Cyborg's blaster, hitting X head on. He went flying across the room. "Booya!" Cyborg cheered. "X marks the spot, baby!"

"Aww, I wanted to say that!" Beast Boy sighed.

"Then maybe next time you should attack him," teased Cyborg

Starfire soared into the sky to intercept him, catching and holding his arms. "Stop stealing things now, please," she said.

"Nice try, Red," X replied. Like a trapeze artist, he swung up and landed - feet first - on Starfire's back. Starfire dropped down a little, but managed to stay airborne. He leapt off her, aiming straight for Robin.

"Give me the suit," Robin said, bo staff drawn.

Red X had his signature X weapons ready. Whirling blades erupted from his gloves. "No way," he said, "I'm having too much fun."

"Fun's over," Robin suddenly said, smiling. "Beast Boy, now!"

The green changeling suddenly morphed into a giant gorilla, ripping the belt off of the suit, depleting it of its power. He morphed back into his regular self. "Hope you're wearing suspenders, dude," he joked, twirling the belt around his finger.

"Damn," X said. He tapped into the last of the Xynothium ore powering the suit, and vanished into thin air.

"Good work, team," Robin said. He picked up the diamond and replaced it in its display case.

"Yeah! We didn't even destroy any of the displays this time!" Cyborg said. "That's gotta be a record for us."

"Jubilation!" Starfire said, in her usual bright tone. "We must celebrate!"

Robin smirked. "Pizza, then?" he said, as the five walked out of the room.

Red X reappeared on the museum roof. "I failed again," he muttered.

A voice replied inside X's head. "You are a disgrace," it snapped.

"Sir, the Titans showed up," he protested, talking on the communicator in his ear. "They stole my power source."

"We have had enough of your excuses," the man replied. "Failures in our organization will be eliminated. You have been warned." The connection cut out.

"Shit," X swore again. He regretted ever making the deal with the damn syndicate in the first place. But, without Xynothium, his suit was merely a costume. The power the suit offered was an addiction... and the organization helped satisfy his cravings. The price? His loyalty and service.

"Xynothium or no," X decided, stamping his foot, "I've got to get out." He sighed. There was only one place to turn now. He looked to the sea, towards a little island with a T shaped tower.


	2. Chapter 2

**You Know Who to Call**

"I am not!" Beast Boy argued, his green eyes almost red with anger. "I totally could beat you at arm wrestling!"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "In your human form?"

Beast Boy twiddled his thumbs. "No..."

"And that's why I'm the strongest guy in the tower!" Cyborg boasted, flexing a mechanical muscle.

"You're definitely not the smartest," Raven remarked, in a surprising show of wit for the dark teen. Cyborg _humph_ed as the others started laughing madly.

"Hee hee!" Starfire giggled. "I believe that you were just set on fire by Raven, friend Cyborg!"

"It's 'burned', Star," Robin said, the half-exasperated, half-amused look crossing his face. The five of them finally made their way across the ocean and onto their private island. "Okay, guys, it's late."

Beast Boy yawned and stretched his arms. "You bet it is," he said. "I'm gonna hit the hay as soon as we get inside."

"I've still got a few hours left in me," Cyborg said, as he unlocked the security measures on their front door. "Ya'll should get some rest. I'll set up the monitors."

"Thanks," Robin said in earnest. It had been a while since he had gotten any sleep, and as painful as it was to admit, he really needed it.

"Robin, perhaps tonight I could stay in your room?" Starfire asked sweetly.

_So much for sleep,_ Robin thought. _Although I guess I can't complain._ "Of course you can," he replied, pointedly ignoring Raven's exasperated eye roll, Cyborg's thumbs-up and wink, and Beast Boy's inane laughter.

The door opened with a whoosh. And, in typical dramatic fashion, someone was already inside, waiting for them. "Hey." A gruff voice came from a lithe figure sitting on the steps.

"X?" Robin said, drawing his bo staff once more. The others fell into their battle formation as well.

"Cool your jets, Titans," Red X replied. He raised an arm, revealing that he was handcuffed to the stair railing. "I'm not picking a fight. You know I don't have enough power to fight you now."

"Beast Boy, hold his other arm to be sure," Robin ordered. He turned into his gorilla form and grabbed X's left arm. He grunted loudly, breathing down his neck. X didn't need a translation to understand what the changeling had tried to say.

"That's a real set of cuffs," Cyborg said, walking over to him and closely scanning it with his mechanical eye. "And X doesn't have the keys either."

"I threw the keys over there," he added, pointing towards the living room.

"Okay," Robin said, eyeing him suspiciously, "what do you want?"

"Your help."

"Why would we help you?" Raven spit. "You've been nothing but trouble to us."

"Aw, I'm glad you noticed," Red X replied, narrowing his eyes at her. "But I'm serious. Someone's after me."

"That's great," Cyborg said, "I hope they find you." Cyborg released X's handcuffs with a skeleton key built into his finger. "B, show him the door." In assent, Beast Boy shoved him forward.

"Wait!" the tower's resident alien said. "What if the Red X speaks truthfully? He came to our aid in the past, he is not evil like Slade or Raven's father or-"

"He can't be trusted, Starfire," Raven replied as calmly as possible. The alien's comment, innocent as it was, struck a nerve. She took out her latent frustration on X by pushing him with her powers and sending him over the threshold. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Let's get to bed, guys," Robin said, after pressing a few buttons on the the security system keypad. "X won't be getting in here again." Four Titans left the hallway, heading to their rooms - Cyborg instead heading to ops to set up the nightly watch on the city.

But Starfire stayed behind. She quietly slipped out the front door. "Red X?"

X turned around to face her, only having gotten a few feet down the hill. His eyes lit up from behind his mask. "Hey, cutie."

Starfire grunted. "The Titans do not trust you," she said. "But I will not allow someone to get hurt when they should not be." She tossed him her communicator. "If you are in danger, you may use this device."

"You're something else," X replied. "Thanks." He tossed it in the air and caught it again, clipping it to a belt loop. "It's too bad you and Bird Boy are an item... otherwise you'd be all mine."

"Leave now before I change my mind," Starfire said, glowering. "I do not trust you either."

"I'll leave," X said, grinning. "I'm not gonna get in the way between a guy and his girl. Not my style," he laughed, pressing a button on the suit and vanishing in a flash.

"Robin will be most displeased," she sighed, "but I believe that this is the right thing to do."

Back in one of Jump City's alleyways, X reappeared. "That was the last of my emergency Xynothium," he said. He glanced at the communicator - a smooth, sturdy device. The T was a nice touch. "I hope I won't need this," he said.

A few days later, the thief had made it to the outskirts of Gotham. He awoke from his bed. "I have to keep moving," he reminded himself as he slipped off his civvies and donned the clothes of Red X once again. He opened the door to the hotel room he had snuck into. But a cold man in a white suit and dark wraparound shades met him.

"The boss wants to see you," he said simply.

"Not a chance, Shiro," Red X replied.

"This is not a request," another voice said, this time from behind him. _Zachi. How had he gotten in? I've gotten careless,_ X thought to himself.

The pair of henchmen rushed at X simultaneously. Even with his own superb agility, X couldn't keep up for long.

Then Zachi drew his sword. "Do not keep him waiting," he replied.

X had prepared for this eventuality, slipping a small pellet from his glove. He threw it to the floor, and it instantly erupted into a plume of black smoke. It was no Xynothium-powered vanish into thin air, but it got the job done. "When there's trouble..." X sighed. He pulled out Starfire's communicator and pressed the button.


	3. Chapter 3

**Talk About Your Good Mornings...**

The common room door opened with a swish. "It is a glorious day, is it not?" Starfire exclaimed, floatinng through the doorway. The Titans in the room acknowledged her presence with smiles or nods - it was far too early in the morning for real conversation.

Starfire buzzed over to Raven, who was comfortably seated on the couch, a book floating in front of her. "Good morning, friend Raven!"

"Morning," Raven said, turning a page telekinetically while taking a sip of her tea. Starfire had lived with Raven long enough to realize that was all she would say, so she moved on.

"Hello, friends Cyborg and Beast Boy!" she said.

"Hey Star, you're more cheerful than usual today," Beast Boy replied. "Hey, is Robin awake yet? Or did you keep him up all night? _Eh? Eh?_" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Starfire smiled innocently. "Indeed, Robin and I were awake until a very late hour." She sighed, and her smile widened. "Very late."

"Ah ha!" Beast Boy said, pointing at Cyborg. "I knew it would happen! Did I call it or what?"

Cyborg shuddered as the mental image began to form. "I don't need to know any more."

But Starfire kept talking. "He lasted much longer than I did. His endurance is amazing."

Raven nearly did a spit take, coughing loudly. "_Excuse me?_" she said, immediately regaining her composure.

"Eeeeww, TMI!" Beast Boy's victory pose faltered.

Cyborg was busy shutting off his memory banks. "I don't need to hear this, I don't need to hear this..." he repeated.

Raven addressed the ecstatic alien teen. "Starfire? It's more sensible to keep this information private."

Star put a finger to her lips. "Oh? But it was the most... what is the word... stimulating-"

"La la la la-la la la la-laaaaa!" Even Beast Boy had had enough. He plugged his ears and started singing their theme song - anything to drown out Starfire's voice.

"And he spoke so sweetly to me-"

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,_" Raven began to chant, attempting to clear her mind. Her cheeks flushed.

"Robin knew exactly what I needed, and he-"

"Shut down faster, for the love of God!" Cyborg willed his brain.

"If I had not fallen asleep, we would still be in the room having the conversation!" Starfire stopped, smiling her little smile.

The room fell silent. "Oh," Cyborg said. "That was what you did? You talked all night?"

"Yes," she replied, confused. "What else does one do at that hour?"

"Note to self," Raven sighed, preening her ruffled feathers, "Teach Starfire the nuances of the English language. For my own sanity."

Robin entered the room to see Starfire smiling happily and the others cringing. Beast Boy still had his fingers in his ears, and was going on the second verse. "Uh, is everything alright?" He rubbed the back of his spiky head.

Suddenly, a siren went off. Robin leapt over to the computer, bringing up a map of the county. "Titans! A distress signal. Someone's in trouble just outside of Gotham City!"

"Let's go," Cyborg said, reaching for the keys to the T-Car.

"I'll take the motorcycle and meet you there," Robin said, grabbing a red helmet and the keys for his R-Cycle. "Titans, move out!"

Back in Gotham, Red X was hiding in an alleyway. "Shit," he said, "the girl never told me how to use this. Did I press the right button?" He pressed every button, trying to make heads or tails of the thing. Suddenly, with a click, the communicator played the Titans' theme on its tinny speakers. "Shit!" he hissed, silencing the thing as best he could.

But Shiro was nearby, and heard the tone. "This way," he signaled to Zachi. The warrior drew his sword again.

"Robin here," a voice came from the speakers. "What's your position?"

X stayed quiet, trying to avoid being noticed.

"This is Robin! We're getting close. Please respond!" X continued to bide his time in the shadow behind the dumpster. Shiro turned the corner, hearing the voice, and headed towards him.

"I've got him," Zachi intoned. He jumped from the roof, landing gracefully on the floor next to X. "There will be no escape."

"You wish," X taunted, crouching down and performing a backflip on top of the dumpster. From there, he jumped up the walls, kicking off of them until he reached the roof.

Robin was the first Titan on the scene. He saw X running across rooftops, followed by men in white and black suits. "X," Robin spat. He opened the communicator. "I found X. I'm taking him out!"

"Robin wai-" Starfire's voice came from the comm just as he closed it. He didn't notice it and scrambled up the fire escape after Red X.

Red X jumped to the rooftop of another building, landing with a roll. He looked ahead of him and saw none other than the Boy Wonder. "Robin! Thank god!" he said, forgetting all preconcieved notions of composure.

"I've got you now, Red X," Robin replied. He withdrew two Birdarangs from his utility belt.

"I'm not the bad guy!" X pleaded with him.

"Bull," he spat. "Don't move."

"Robin of the Teen Titans," a voice said. "Thank you for helping us to capture this errant." The voice came from a man suited in black carrying a katana.

"We will deal with him from here," his white-suited companion replied. He drove home his point with a swift kick to X's stomach. The once proud thief collapsed almost instantly.

"What?" Robin's eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing?"

"This man stole from us," Zachi replied, slashing X's arm, leaving a red gash on it.

"So he'll be coming with us to see our boss," Shiro finished. He picked up X from the floor and reeled back to throw a bone-shattering punch.

Suddenly, bolts of green light cascaded down onto the two henchmen, knocking X out of their grasp. All present turned their eyes skyward. Starfire hovered in the air, ready to deliver another brilliant salvo of star bolts. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were in the air with her, Cyborg standing on a platform of Raven's magic.

Robin was a little surprised that Starfire immediately knew who to attack. But he shrugged it off. "Titans, go!" He pointed at the two mysterious attackers. "Raven," he added with strain in his voice, "heal Red X."

If Raven had been a little more expressive, she would have screamed. "Are you sure, Robin?" she asked instead.

"Just do it. But keep him restrained," Robin continued, rushing off to help his other teammates take out Shiro and Zachi.

By this time X had blacked out due to his injuries. His vision returned slowly, revealing a blue cloak standing over him, and a cool sensation rushing through his body. He watched the gash on his arm knit together. "Thanks for the assist," Red X said, once the magic was finished. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a score to settle."

"You're not going anywhere," Raven replied, still wary of the teen thief.

"Please," X argued. "For once, we're on the same side." With a smile and a wink, Red X was already joining Robin and the others. Raven quickly followed him.

"Grab and Go!" Robin said, signaling for Star to do a technique in combination with him. Starfire whisked him into the sky, swung him around, and launched him at Zachi. He turned two of his Birdarangs into a short sword, and began to duel with him.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were struggling against Shiro. "Cy!" Beast Boy said. "Get him now!" He transformed into a snake and coiled around his feet. Cyborg tried to get him with another blast from his sonic cannon, but Shiro had amazing strength, and pulled away Beast Boy from his legs. With his mobility regained, it was easy to dodge the cannon.

"This guy's good," Cyborg said, "but let's see how he does man-to-man!" He abandoned his cannon and jumped at Shiro.

Swords clashed as Robin fought Zachi. Starfire launched star bolt after star bolt, but Zachi was excellent at multitasking. He managed to disarm Robin, who stood back in surprise.

Apparently Shiro does really well man-to-man. Soon Cyborg was flying across the rooftop, landing a few feet away. Beast Boy gulped. "New plan," he said, transforming into a spitting cobra. He released a stream of venom from his fangs. Shiro dodged the stream, and grabbed Beast Boy, with the intent to crush him to death.

"Leave the green guy alone," X said. He weaved underneath Shiro's line of sight, and launched an uppercut to his jaw. Shiro released his grip on Beast Boy, who reverted to his human form, gasping for air.

Raven caught Shiro in a black energy beam and began to swing him through the air. After launching him skyward, she grabbed him and threw him down, where he stayed down.

Red X then intervened with Zachi and Robin's fight. A quick sweep of his legs disarmed Zachi. Starfire immediately cut through the blade with her eye beams. "Wanna finish him?" X asked Robin. He nodded curtly. The pair executed an identical combination of strikes. With a final double-uppercut, Zachi landed on top of Shiro, unconscious.

The team came together again, recovering from the difficult battle. "Now... do you... believe me?" X managed to say between breaths. _Why do I feel so faint?_ he thought, before remembering. _Shit, Zachi cut me with that sword._ He recalled Zachi's code name within the syndicate - Snake Fang.

"How did you get a hold of a communicator?" Robin snapped, grabbing X by the cowl of his cloak.

"Can't... say..." X replied, his strength fading. He blacked out once again.

"What?"

"He's been poisoned," Raven replied. "I couldn't remove it, only delay its effects. When X started to fight and get his blood pumping, the poison continued to course through his bloodstream."

"We'll get him to med bay," Robin said. "Starfire, you're with me on the R-Cycle. BB, turn into something small and ride with Raven in the front seat of the T-Car."

Beast Boy and Raven flushed.

"Lay X in the back, where Raven can keep an eye on his vitals," Robin finished explaining. Everyone went where they were supposed to go, and soon everyone was back at Titans Tower.


	4. Chapter 4

**Second Thoughts**

"His vital signs are stable," Cyborg reported when Robin had walked into X's room. "But he's still out cold."

"The poison's all gone," Raven said, the blue glow fading from her palms. "He'll be fine with a little rest."

"What I don't get," Robin asked his team, "is how did he contact us?"

"Maybe he got a hold of a communicator?" Beast Boy started. He immediately clapped a hand over his mouth.

Robin didn't notice. "But I wouldn't give him one. I don't trust him farther than I can throw him. None of us d-" Suddenly, Robin knew. He met the others' eyes with a mixture of pain, anger, and disappointment. "_Starfire._" He walked out of the lab towards Starfire's room and pounded on his door.

Starfire expected this to happen the moment she had handed X the communicator, but she still wasn't ready for it. "Hello, Robin."

"Star, why?" he immediately asked.

"He was in the deep water," she replied. "I do not wish harm on anyone."

"But he's our enemy!" Robin said. He almost sounded personally offended by Starfire's actions.

"He is also human," Starfire said. Her eyes looked with pity on the Boy Wonder. "The ways of Earth still elude me," she continued, "but I understand the killing of another is wrong. Why should we give him the icy shoulder, even if he is our enemy?"

"Star, I can't believe this!" Robin was still mad. "After all we've been through... you went behind my back and put the team in danger!"

"Robin..."

"You handed an enemy a means to find us. We're lucky he didn't take advantage of it."

"Robin!"

"But how could you trust him?" Robin gritted his teeth.

Starfire thought a moment. "I did not," she replied with finality, and Robin looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"When he tried to explain himself that day," Starfire explained, "there was a look in his eyes. He looked at us with great respect, even if his words were not so much. He needed our assistance. This is why I had to help."

Robin was glad she had an explanation. Yelling at her seemed... wrong. Every word he had spoken to her since he knocked on the door filled him with pain. He lowered his voice. "But how did you know he wasn't lying?"

"You and the Red X are... _similar_." The word had an eerie ring to it - both realized that she had used that very same word to connect Robin to Slade. She corrected herself. "What I am meaning to say is... he looked at us the same way you looked at me last night - as a friend, as a person that you could be falling backwards onto."

Robin didn't bother to correct her English. She was right, and he was wrong. "The four of us weren't really acting very heroic, were we?"

"You were concerned for our safety," Star corrected. "Have none of the regret." She planted a kiss on his lips.

It shouldn't have made him feel better, Robin always thought, but it did. It always did. The first one - well, the first real one - did, as did the second, the third, the twentieth... It always did.

Robin was about to reciprocate when they were interrupted. The intercom came on, broadcasting Cyborg's voice over the speakers installed throughout the tower. "He's awake."

Robin and Starfire joined Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg in the med bay. X was still laying down on the bed. His eyes turned to Robin. "There are times when 'I told you so' just doesn't cut it," he jeered.

"Okay, X, I'm listening. What's going on?"

X sighed. "Well, it's actually pretty simple. I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. It was a sweet deal; they gave me the Xynothium I need to power the suit, and I did jobs for them."

"And by 'jobs' you mean stealing," Robin said.

"No, I mean painting their porch," X replied, sarcasm in his voice.

"But who could have given you that much of the chemical?" Cyborg asked.

"The Michiyo clan," Robin replied darkly. "They're the largest Xynothium traffickers in the world. They built their billion-dollar empire on it. I almost went to them myself... back then." His teammates looked away, not wanting to remember. Robin quickly changed the subject. "But Boss Michiyo doesn't allow anyone outside of his family into his operations. How did you strike a deal?"

"I didn't have to," X said. He reached back to remove the mask.

Robin had dreaded this moment. The mask was a symbol for him - a symbol of his descent into darkness. It had the same stigma that the mask of Slade did. He almost expected to see himself behind the mask. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

The mask came off. The Titans were greeted with the sight of a handsome, solemn face with unkempt black hair and piercing dark eyes. Robin breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief. "My name is Yamada Michiyo," X replied, in his real voice - the one not generated by the voice changer in the mask. "And I need your help."

That night, X - or Yamada, as he preferred _not_ to be called, was still laying in his bed in med bay. _This doesn't feel right._ He fidgeted; the straps securing him to the bed prevented him from laying on his side the way he usually did. _Should I really have given myself up this quickly?_ He wrestled with his own mind.

_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos._ Raven continued to meditate. The past week was becoming quite a lot to bear, what with X showing up out of the blue. She tried her best to keep focused. But the memory resurfaced.

_"I found X. I'm taking him out!" Robin's commanding voice echoed through the communicator as the T-Car sped down the highway, Jump City shrinking in the distance.  
_

_"Robin, wait!" Starfire yelled, but he had already cut his transmission._

_"Starfire? What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked._

_"He is the one who sent the signal of distress!"_

_"What?" Raven asked her. "How?"_

_"It is my communicator that he is using."_

_"Starfire, how could you give him your comm?" Cyborg said. He would have turned to yell at her but had to keep focused on the road._

_"If he is in the danger, then I will not stand to see him hurt!"_

_"He's our enemy, Starfire," Raven replied calmly._

_"It does not matter! He has sent the signal and now we must give him the assistance!"_

_Cyborg winced. "Well, you heard the lady!" He put his foot on the accelerator and activated the car's thrusters._

_Raven put up her hood and closed her eyes. She tried her best to repress her emotions. Deep down, though, she was angry with Starfire. She would never show it, but she nearly wanted to hurt her for being so reckless._

_I nearly struck her then and there,_ Raven thought with a shudder. _My emotions are becoming much harder to suppress._ _I must ensure that I can keep them in check. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos._

"Raven?" Beast Boy said from outside of Raven's room. "Can you help me with something?"

The door slid open. "What?" Raven asked, in her usual monotone. She was surprised to see not only Beast Boy, but Cyborg as well.

"We owe Star an apology," Beast Boy said resolutely. "She's the only one who didn't want to throw X out on his butt when he came to us for help."

Raven wholeheartedly agreed. "Of course. Let's go. I'll assume Robin's already with her. They're inseparable nowadays."

Cyborg was surprised. "Raven? Really?"

She decided not to explain herself. "Yeah." Together, they headed for Starfire's room.

Starfire had managed to tear Robin from the screens and drag him into her room. They sat and talked, the way they have been since they became official several months ago. She took pride in what she had done for Robin - he was not as secluded as he was before. Back in the present, Star looked deep into Robin's eyes. "Robin. No matter what happens, I love you."

"I love you too, Star," Robin stammered out. "And I'm sorry for yelling."

"Do not be." She leaned in to kiss him. How many times had they done this now? It didn't matter. She closed her eyes.

At that moment, Starfire's door slid open. "Starfire, we- _ooooh_," Cyborg started, before realizing he had interrupted a moment. Starfire sat up straight and blushed, while Robin shot him a glare that could cut... well it was a good thing he was made out of metal.

"What is the matter?" Starfire asked after a while.

"We... just wanted to say sorry," Beast Boy kicked the floor.

"We were out of line," Cyborg added.

"You were right to help Red X, even when we didn't." Raven's remorse didn't show on her face. "We have no right to say that you were wrong."

"Thank you, friends," Starfire said quietly. "But you must also apologize to one other." She gestured towards the medical bay.

"We'll all go," Robin said. The others were surprised at Robin's response... never before had the Boy Wonder been so ready to apologize. Starfire really knows how to persuade him, they all thought.

They walked down the hall, to the place where X was staying. Robin opened the door. "Yamada?" An empty bed greeted their sight. The metal bands had been picked, and a ceiling tile was dislodged.

Beast Boy gasped. "He's gone!"

Robin's hands turned to fists, Starfire watching in dismay. "Titans! Search the tower!"


End file.
